A Paler Shade of White
by Fredrick Schofield
Summary: A long continued story of a young White Kougra, his adventures, and their surprisingly large effect on all Neopia.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1: Perquere  
  
Author's note: Some of this might not make much sense if you don't play Neopets. Read and be confused (or not) at your own risk.  
  
We open our story in Neopia Central, somewhat before Christmas. Something seems about to happen, something large, something that can't be ignored. Let's see what happens.  
  
In the bustling crowd of Neopia Central, Perquere felt very small and alone, very small and alone indeed. The realization that he had made a bad choice, or at least chosen the wrong time to make that choice, had come very soon after he had clambered out of his second story bedroom window at 11:30 PM, NST, on Day 14 of the Month of Celebrating, Y4, only to end up where he was: lost, cold, and alone in Neopia Central. Even at this time of night, things were still quite busy with the Christmas rush.  
  
"I could still go back." He though morosely. "They won't have noticed I'm gone. I can climb back into the house and go to sleep."  
  
But he knew that would get him nowhere fast. His parents, or his adoptive parents, more appropriately, were High and Mighty political offcials in Neopia. With all their meetings and legislative duties, they simply didn't have time for a growing Kougra. Yes, they could have hired a nanny, and that would go a long way towards making Perquere happier, but in four words, they didn't really care. He was suffocating in a glass box. Everywhere he went, people would say "Oh! Aren't you the son of Jonquil and Albert Fidsk?" Never trying to learn anything deeper, or getting to know him. They only talked to him at all because of his parents, the idea that he might not be anything like them never seemed to occur to anybody at all. The worst of all were the cocktail parties, in his large and ostentatious living room, kitchen, dining room, and hallway, with too many boring adults standing around talking, occasionally laughing richly as if there was actually something to laugh about, and eating something like snail-or-maybe- seafood hors d'oeuvres. And he was forced to mill through the crowd, smiling pleasantly (as if there was actually something to smile about) and to address everyone as "sir" or "madam." The best he could hope for during those dreadfully boring at-least-four hours was to sit in the windowseat and read. His parents never did anything fun with him, he never went to any movies, or really went anywhere at all. The other pets at school seemed to think he thought he was better than the rest of them and didn't want any friends.  
  
A large Wocky with several shopping bags bumped into him, jostling him back into the real world.  
  
"Excuse you." she said, not stopping, and giving him an evil glare.  
  
"It doesn't hurt to be kind." he said quietly as she was stalking off, more to himself than to the Wocky. He thought about what he should do. He decided he should take some affirmitive action, even if it was only a small one. He got up off his bench and headed towards the nearest shop, the Magic Shop. In a shop he could browse and be warm. In a shop he could talk to the Shopkeeper. A shop was a good place to go. As he opened the door, he saw Kauvara at the counter, haggling with a customer about a Supernova.  
  
"But for an item of this quality, 1008 Neopoints is a bargain!" He overheard her saying. The customer, a Disco Aisha, said "alright" and placed a large amount of coins (they looked like mostly 50Np coins) onto the counter. Kauvara scooped them up and placed them in their respective trays in her till.  
  
"And what can I do for you, young Kougra?" She inquired.  
  
"I'd like some advice, if you please." replied Perquere, looking around at the various bottles and items on the shelves.  
  
"Well, I specialize in Magic and Potions, but I'll do what I can." she said with a twinkle. "What is it you'd like advice on?"  
  
"First, I need to know if I can trust you to keep a secret."  
  
"If I couldn't, everybody would be making their own potions and I'd be our of business, wouldn't I?"  
  
Kauvara prided herself very much on her potions and how only she and her sister knew how to make them. Then, Gaining seriousness, she said "I assure you I am perfectly trustworthy."  
  
"Good." said Perquere, leaning forwards so he could talk in a low voice so as not to disturb the other customers. Kauvara looked to the right, and then to the left. Perquere, for no reason he could explain, did the same. Then he spoke.  
  
"I am the son of Jonquil and Albert Fidsk. Just tonight I have run away and I'm at a loss of what to do." Kauvara didn't question his reasoning, she didn't condemn him for what he did. She merely raised her eyebrows, looked left, hesitated, and then right again, and said in a low voice, quickly and with much urgency, "This had to happen sometime. You've sped its coming and probably done much more to your and our advantage by running away at this time. Take this," -- She handed him a small round object looking somewhat like a coin -- "and hire a boat to Mystery Island. Once you've arrived at the dock, move to the northern side of the Island. Then attach this to yourself somehow -- medical tape works great -- and swim around for a bit. I'd be more specific if we weren't being watched," Perquere put on an inquisitive expression. Kauvara nodded to her left. He followed her gaze, and noticed a Blue Mynci pretending to be browsing through the Battledome Potions. "Just trust me and go. And hurry, "They" will be looking for you soon. I must give you these warnings: It will be very dangerous, you will be going against unknown evil powers of Neopia. If the police come asking questions, I'll have to say you came in here and we talked. I won't tell them any more than that, for your safety. Secrecy is of the essence. If you tell anyone any of this until you get to where you are going, I won't be able to help you. Nowhere is safe from discovery excepting your final destination. "They" have many, many ways to find information. Do you have enough to hire a boat?"  
  
He nodded. "Barely."  
  
"Well then, here, take this as well." she said as she took a 1000 Np coin out of her till. "You'll need extra. Take the 1:25 boat, it's the next one. And get yourself some food, you look famished. If I could give you more help than this, I would. But at the moment, I can say no more."  
  
Kauvara watched as the small white Kougra hurried out of her shop towards the boat dock. The Blue Mynci walked up to the counter and put 50,000 Np in small notes in between them. Kauvara noticed with some nervousness that they were alone in the shop. The Mynci spoke first: "Now suppose you tell me just what that young Kougra said."  
  
"Bribery will get you nowhere, you tripe! Get out of my shop, or retribution will come swiftly and mercilessly."  
  
The Mynci wordlessly pulled a gun out of his pocket.  
  
Kauvara leaned closer over the counter, and said very slowly, enunciating carefully, "You-wouldn't-dare. Every last person shopping tonight would hear you loud and clear."  
  
She then proceeded to do the most daring and probably also the most stupid thing of her life. In a single, quick, flowing movement, she pulled one of her new, not-for-sale potions off the shelf behind her head, the ones she had been tampering with to improve, and threw it onto the Mynci's head. The bottle broke, spreading the potion and Mynci flat on the floor. The potion had turned out to be a yet-unnamed potion, a Battledome potion, a mix between an improved Caustic Potion and Chia Flour. The Mynci's hands were burnt from the acid, excepting that they were not Mynci hands, they were the hands of a Yellow Chia.p "Now, dear-former-Mynci," said Kauvara, "You are going to leave my shop. You are going to make no commotion, no sound, and tell no one. For you do not know what might be in the other bottles, and yes, that is a threat."  
  
The now-Chia stood up and mumbled, "This is far from over." and stalked out.  
  
Kauvara sat pensively for a moment, and wished she could go help Perquere personally, and fight in the upcoming battle. But, after all, it is not a good idea to leave a shop full of magic unguarded for any length of time. And a shop full of magic may be just what one needs in a battle.  
  
To Be Continued. 


	2. Chapter 2: Jonquil

font size=5Chapter 2: Jonquil/font Last week we left our newly introduced main character, Perquere the White Kougra, in Neopia Central shortly after receiving rather unusual advice and an even more unusual small round object from Kauvara the Magic Shop owner. This week something much more ominous seems about to happen.p  
  
font size=5A/fontt about 8 am, Neopian standard time, on the morning of day 15 of the Month of Celebrating, the sun rose and shone into the Master Bedroom window of the Fidsk household. Jonquil, a rather overbearing yellow Kougra (still plain-colored because, as she tells people, she's much too frugal and must think about "the child." Although her own private atmosphere of expensive perfume and her much-too-large collection of 2 pound diamonds and other jewelry seem to suggest otherwise) woke up to find herself sitting in the Violet Velvet Chair in her bedroom. She did not remember falling asleep in her chair, but here she was, and still in her formal dress from the night before. That made her angry. Why had no one woken her up to tell her to get out of her party clothes and actually go to bed?? Of course, the Fidsks only had one servant: a maid, cook, and occasionally stenographer, and she had gone home for the night. But Jonquil wasn't one to think things through fully. One would suppose she merely enjoyed being angry. Even if someone had woken her up, she would have been mad then, too. br "Wake up!" She yelled to her husband, Albert. "Or you're gonna be late!" br The event she was talking about was a political breakfast where he was speaking. Then on his itinerary was office-work. She had nothing to do for the day. She decided that she would wear her robe and lounge around the house all day. A nice, quiet day. Habit made the thought of spending quality family time with her son never cross her mind. Not that --as she was to soon find-- that was an option, anyway. br She finally glanced over at her husband. Her husband wasn't there. She looked over at the clock and realized that he must have already left. He would actually be just about starting his speech. She shrugged. Not much difference to her. Jonquil dressed down into her pajamas and robe. br The clock ticked. br Life went on. br In a sudden rush of sleepiness, Jonquil yawned and flopped back onto the bed. More time passed. Then she rubbed her eyes with her large Kougra paws and stood up again. She wandered amiably (not being angry for one of the very ivery/i few times in her life) down the hall towards Perquere's room, with the intent of waking him for breakfast. She did not quite get there before she heard, faintly, a key being turned in the lock downstairs. She turned around and headed down the stairs to greet (if such a cheerful word could iever/i be used to describe Jonquil Fidsk) the maid, Jeanette, and give her breakfast instructions. br However, the creature opening the door downstairs was not the maid. br It was Bobomoque, Albert's Mynci assistant. br "Bobomoque!" She exclaimed, clearly surprised, and blinked. "I wasn't expecting. So early. Where is-" She stopped, noticing Jeanette at the stove, (which answered her unfinished 'where is') cooking her breakfast. She would have walked over and corrected all of Jeanette's procedures if it had not been for Bobomoque. She looked back at him, and finally managed to say, "What are you doing here?"br "I was sent here," he replied, "On business, to notify you that the child has disappeared." Jonquil had a most un-repressible urge to scream, to become enraged. She fought it, and replied almost calmly, "What?! I thought we had that situation under control. This iwill/i complicate things." br "Not only you, but I and most likely everyone else thought we had this situation under control. Apparently we didn't. He allegedly climbed out his window last night and went to Neopia Central. Last place he was seen was hiring a boat, but we don't know where. Our people are working on it. If we don't find him, this could mean disaster, we might even have to terminate Operation Seashell."br Jonquil's voice rose and became much more threatening. "I warn you, if we are forced to terminate Operation Seashell, I will hold you personally responsible and it could cost you something very precious to you." Had she had more time to think she would have given a better threat, but it gave its intended effect. "That little brat. You said he climbed out his window? This will throw off all our timing. I though we were being so clever, to strike during a war. I should have iknown/i not to use that backstabbing freak of a child as a focal point." She sighed. "Things will just have to wait, I guess. Operation Seashell wasn't truly ready yet, anyway."p font size=5iTo Be Continued./i a href="homepage.phtml?pet_name=alledrhae"Back to the Main Page/a/font 


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